Comes up Roses

Epilogue 2/7: Kaoru [Romantic]

[The Waltz]

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Kaoru busted into the changing rooms while Masae was still getting dressed. He had probably seen her in some state of undress before that point, but she still made him stand behind the privacy screen while she changed.

"This seems excessive," he called to her. Masae could see his silhouette through the screen, and smiled to herself as he shifted restlessly from foot to foot.

She turned away from him and continued changing. "You can wait outside if you want," she replied. "I'll only be a second."

"You called me because you needed help with your dress."

"That's right: I need help with the buttons." There were about twenty tiny buttons going down the back of her dress that she couldn't possibly cinch on her own. So, in a stroke of genius, she called Kaoru. He was the only one of the Hosts she trusted with such a delicate job. "But give me a second. It's a big dress and I'm a small person."

He snorted, but Kaoru didn't say anything else. He just waited patiently until Masae was finished putting herself in the dress.

"You can come in now," Masae said as she pulled the sleeves up her arms. She had to hold the bodice of the dress over her chest until the buttons were done up, but it seemed to fit well enough. It was by far the best dress she had found on the racks of the Host Club changing room.

When he stepped in, Masae heard him gasp.

She smiled to herself, knowing that he was right to. She could see herself in the many mirrors in the dressing room, and knew she looked rather magnificent: the dress she had chosen was a burnt orange ball gown, floor-length. It cinched in rather tightly at the waist and had a big, flowing skirt with a small train. The bodice was off-the-shoulder, with big puffy sleeves.

They said nothing to each other as Kaoru crossed the small space of the dressing room and Masae turned to let him button her up. His thin, nimble fingers worked quickly up her back; Masae could feel him trying not to breathe too hard on the back of her neck.

When he was done, she turned around, looking up at him on instinct.

Kaoru was... a lot closer than she had been expecting. They were nearly touching, looking at each other like silent fools.

"Do you like the dress?" Masae half-whispered. She was almost afraid to speak any louder, lest she break the bubble that had been cast around them. "Is it princessy enough, do you think?"

Kaoru's cheeks immediately darkened. He mumbled, "You look like a queen."

Masae couldn't help but laugh. "That's so cheesy."

The tension between them broke as Kaoru chuckled. "Sorry," he said, glancing down at his shoes then back up at her. His smile was painfully genuine. "You look really nice. I mean, aside from the wet hair."

"Oh, be quiet," said Masae, smacking him lightly on the chest. Her hair hung loose and wet over her shoulder, not yet dried after her excursion in the river.

Kaoru reached out to curl a strand of it around his finger. "Have I told you how stupid you are for running off without me and Hikaru yet?" His hand brushed her neck for a second, and it was warm.

Masae shivered involuntarily. "You haven't, but you really don't need to. Everyone else already has."

She rolled her eyes, remembering how all the others had fawned over her and Haruhi because they went off on their own. Even Hikaru had called her an idiot for it. But she'd gotten Tamaki back, hadn't she? Had it not been worth it?

"You're an idiot," Kaoru said. He let go of her hair and flicked her cheek instead. "You shouldn't have left Hikaru and I— especially because you don't know how to drive a carriage. You could've gotten yourself killed."

Masae gritted her teeth, rubbing her smarting cheek. "I had it handled."

"No you didn't!" His voice went high and pitchy; he grabbed her shoulders and held them tight. "Do you know what would have happened if you'd crashed in the woods? You and Haruhi both could have been killed!"

"But we weren't!" Masae took a step forward so they were standing nearly chest-to-chest. "Everything is fine! Why can't you calm down?"

"Because I love you, you idiot!"

In the aftermath of his words, there was only silence. Masae looked deep into his hazel eyes, scowling.

"I thought love was supposed to be freeing," she said. "Not make you act like a scared nursemaid. I love you too, but why are you the only one causing a spectacle?"

Kaoru's breath hitched. "You love me too?"

"Of course I do. But you don't see me making a big deal out of it. It's like breathing, Kaoru— very, very easy to do. So what do you say? Are you going to realize that I'm alive and come out to the party with me, or am I going to be dancing by myself?"

A smile split Kaoru's face. As Masae looked up at him, trying in vain not to fall to mush, she thought that he was quite possibly the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. She took the hand he offered, clasping it tightly between both of hers.

Kaoru leaned down, so his mouth was near her ear. "Let's waltz," he said.